Two things changed my life: my mother and a white plastic bike basket. I have thought long and hard about it and it’s true. I would have been a different person if my mom hadn’t turned a silly bicycle accessory (配饰) into a life lesson I carry with me today.
My mother and father were united in their way of raising children, but it mostly fell to my mother to actually carry it out. Managing the family budget must have been a very hard task, but she made it look effortless. If we complained about not having what another kid did, we’d hear something like, “I don’t care what so-and-so got for his birthday, you are not getting a TV in your room, a car for your birthday, a lavish sweet 16 party.” We had to earn our allowance by doing chores around the house. I can still remember how long it took to polish the legs of our coffee table. My brothers can no doubt remember hours spent cleaning the house. Like the two little girls growing up at the White House, we made our own beds. We had to keep track of our belongings, and if something was lost, it was not replaced.
It was summer and, one day, my mother drove me to the bike shop to get a tire fixed — and there it was in the window. White, shiny, plastic and decorated with flowers, the basket winked at me and I knew — I knew — I had to have it.
“It’s beautiful,” my mother said when I pointed it out to her, “What a neat basket.”
I tried to hold off at first, and I played it cool for a short while. But then I guess I couldn’t pretend to ignore it any longer: “Mom, please can I please, please get it? I’ll do extra chores for as long as you say. I’ll do anything, but I need that basket. I love that basket.”
I was desperate.
“You know,” she said, gently rubbing my back while we both stared at what I believed was the coolest thing ever. “If you save up you could buy this yourself.”
“By the time I make enough it’ll be gone!”
“Maybe Roger here could hold it for you,” she smiled at Roger, the bike guy.
“Mom. Someone else will buy it.”
“There might be another way,” she said.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
My mother bought the beautiful basket but hid it, and I was determined to make enough money.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________However, the unthinkable happened — a neighborhood girl appeared with the exact same basket.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________1. 活动的时间和地点；
2. 活动的内容；
3. 个人感想。
注意：短文词数应为80个左右。
参考词汇：冬令营 winter camp
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1. 人物简介；
2. 影响或启示。
注意：
1. 词数100左右；
2. 标题已为你写好。
An Artist I Know
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1. 感恩对象及原因；
2. 你的回报方式。
注意：词数100左右；可以适当增添细节，以使行文连贯。
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注意：
(1)词数80左右；
(2)可适当发挥，以使行文连贯；
(3)文中请勿提及你的真实姓名和学校。
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1.团队合作的意义；
2.如何有效合作。
注意：1.词数100左右；
2.短文的题目已为你写好。
The Power of Teamwork
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My family and I were taking a well-deserved vacation to Disneyland. I had never been there before and was eagerly anticipating experiencing the magic.
There was another reason that this trip was special. My father was a workaholic who worked long hours. I longed to spend time with him. I wanted to be able to sit down with my father, who I loved more than life, and just talk. It always seemed like there was never time.
The day finally arrived when I was allowed to pack my clothes. I chose only my favourite outfits. I threw in my autograph book and then muscled the suitcase zipper around the overflow of clothes. I set my suitcase on my comforter and smiled. I was ready.
I didn’t get any sleep that night. I lay in my bed and stared out the window. I knew that my father’s work was going to be left at home, finally.
After a brief breakfast we hit the open road. It was all smooth sailing for the first couple of hours until I unexpectedly felt a sharp stop. We coasted to the side of the road, and my dad said something was wrong with the engine. We were in the middle of four lanes of traffic, so he decided the easiest thing to do would be to signal someone to stop and get a ride into town.
An hour later, my dad was still waving his hands at each and every passing car but it wasn’t doing any good. Not a single person would stop to assist my helpless family. Finally, Father gave up and decided to walk into town. I was certain it was a very long distance. I pleaded with him to stay and try again, but he was deaf to my pleading. He just said that he wouldn’t let anything ruin this trip for me. My heart ached as he put on his coat and began to walk away from our car. My dad has a back problem, and he was too stubborn to admit that he wasn’t in any condition to even walk a couple of miles.
注意：1.续写词数应为150左右;2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Then I saw a man out of the window, who was a truck driver.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________After reaching the town, we expressed our thanks again.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________A cactus (仙人掌) stood all alone in the desert, wondering why it was stuck in the middle of the desert. “I do nothing but stand here all day,” it sighed. “What use do I have? I am the ugliest plant in the desert. My spines (刺) are thick, my leaves are tough, and my skin is uneven. I can’t offer shade or juice to the passing travellers. I don’t see that I am of any use at all.” All it did was stand in the sun day after day, growing taller and fatter. Its spines grew longer and its leaves grew tougher. It truly was strange-looking.
“I wish I could do something useful,” it signed. By day, hawks (鹰) circled high overhead, and the cactus called, “What can I do with my life?” Whether they heard or not, the hawks flew away. At night the moon floated into the sky and cast its pale light on the desert floor. “What can I do with my life?” the cactus called. The moon only stared coldly as it continued its course.
A lizard (蜥蜴) passed by, leaving a little trail in the sand with its tail. “What worthy deed can I do?” the cactus called. “You?” the lizard smiled, pausing a moment. “You can do something. Just wait for the right moment. The hawks circle their ways overhead, making beautiful patterns for us all to admire. The moon hangs high like a lantern at night, so we can see our ways home to our loved ones. Even I, the lowly lizard, have something to do. I decorate the sands with these beautiful trails as I pull my tail along. And you, you will show us your beauty some day.”
Paragraph 1:
It went on year after year, and the cactus grew old.
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Paragraph 2:
The desert hadn’t known such a flower of it.
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内容包括：1.野生动物灭绝的原因（栖息地的破坏；寻求其皮毛等）
2.保护措施（严惩非法捕杀；建立自然保护区；唤醒人们的保护意识等）
注意：1.词数100左右；
2.可适当增加细节，使行文连贯。
提示词：自然保护区natural reserves 捕猎者 hunter
Dear fellow students,
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The Students Union
The excited sound of seventh-grade laughter and voices spilled down the hallway as the students filed into the gym. I weaved my way through the mass of people and sat down next to my best friend, Lauren.
“So, what exactly are we doing here?” she questioned.
“Well, according to Mrs. Marks, we’re supposed to be listening to a speech about bullying and peer pressure.”
As soon as the speaker started talking, I snapped to attention. She had this way about her, as if she knew how to reach into our minds and souls and make us think. I though about the kids who came to school every day, despite knowing that they would have to face cruel comment all day long.
One boy, in particular, came to mind. Every day, this boy came to school late, and I suspected it was because he needed to get medicine from the nurse. But this didn’t stop kids in the class from making fun of him. The boy would put his head down on his desk in shame. The worst, though, was when he tried to fight back. His attackers only laughed and continued the cruelty until the entire room was laughing at his expense.
As I sat in the auditorium, absorbing everything the speaker had to say, thoughts of this poor boy crept into my head.
“Now, before I leave today, I would like to give everyone here an opportunity to say anything he or she wants to on the subject of bullying or peer pressure. You may apologize to a friend, thank someone for his or her kindness, anything, And this is the one time I can promise that no one, will laugh at you.”
The stillness in the room made me believe her. Slowly, I saw a few hands raise tentatively (犹豫地) in the air behind me, One girl wanted to apologize to a friend she had been ignoring recently. Another thanked a boy for his kindness when she slipped on the steps the other day.
注意:1. 续写词数应为150左右；2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
It was then that my moment of courage arrived, inspiring me to act.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Later that day, the boy I had been talking about came up to me privately.
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